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How biotech tattoos will turn you into a quantifiable canvas

From fitness trackers like FitBit and Jawbone to the numerous available smartwatches, wearables have become an important part of many people's daily routines. It's easy to see why -- they're functional, convenient and often aesthetically pleasing. But how can you bring wearables closer to the people that wear them?

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What is a biotech tattoo?

Unusual tech tattoos are nothing new -- WIRED reported on LED tattoos back in 2009 and Gadi Amit presented his concept for embedded wearables at this year's WIRED Health. But combining the pure aesthetics of traditional tattoos with the functionality of wearables is a fresh idea. And Chaotic Moon's 'Tech Tat' does just that.

Sticking to the skin just like temporary tattoos do, Tech Tats are made of electronic components and are able to monitor your vital statistics -- your heart rate, your blood pressure, your body temperature and more. They have a similar function to wearables like FitBit, but they're easier to wear -- being attached to your skin, they're far less cumbersome.

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Chaotic Moon's tattoos use electroconducive paint to pick up the vital signs from the body. "We use a conductive material to connect the micro controller with a variety of sensors held within a flexible temporary tattoo format," Ben Lamm, CEO of Chaotic Moon explained to WIRED.

The wearable market

New Deal Design

Chaotic Moon are far from the only team experimenting with wearables, of course.

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Motorola: Back in 2013, Motorola filed a patent for a microphone that consumers would literally have tattooed onto their throats, the idea being that vibrations from the larynx would be picked up and sent to your mobile handset or portable device by WiFi or Bluetooth.

University of California, San Diego: Scientists at the University of California at San Diego also developed a temporary tattoo -- which self-powered using sweat. The tattoo uses an enzyme to measure lactate, a substance present in sweat. Athletes and patients often need their levels of lactate measured, but it typically involves a blood test. The tattoo could also collect electrons from the lactate and generate an electric current.

Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Korea (KAIST): KAIST created a temporary tattoo from graphene, an ultra-thin material that's both tough and flexible. The material, which sticks to your skin as the other biotech tattoos do, acts as a sensor for vital signs, as well as being having an aesthetically pleasing design.

New Deal Design: New Deal Design, a technology agency behind wearables like FitBit, have also discussed wearable tattoos. Their concept, Project Underskin, is a 'smart digital tattoo' that would be used to scan entry into rooms, track the body with a biosensor and even exchange information via touch. Unfortunately, this fairly complex design is, as yet, still a concept rather than a reality, though NDD president Gadi Amit says that once the issue of flexibility is solved, the product could be available within a decade.

The next step for wearables (and tattoos)

The tech tattoo is a device that will just make everyone's lives easier.Ben Lamm, Chaotic Moon

Chaotic Moon's tattoos are currently in beta -- nobody has one yet. But the company has high hopes for the Tech Tat. It could be used to track children in crowded places, they say, or for soldiers who need to have their condition monitored in detail. They could also be used for purchasing -- just like Apple Pay. But will tech tattoos be replacing real tattoos any time soon? Unfortunately for tattooed tech-enthusiasts, Lamm thinks not. "In theory they could work as real tattoos," Lamm told WIRED. "But when we embed into the dermal layer of our skin, a lot has to be considered. Conductivity is lost through the natural resistance of our skin, for example, and the materials we use to produce the circuit would probably have to be adapted." "I can see them working alongside real tattoos -- I just don't think they'll augment or replace real tattoos".

What Lamm does hope for is widespread adoption. And although many of the suggested uses of the tech are fairly extreme -- military tracking being one example -- he's hopeful that they'll become as omnipresent as the FitBit. "We see these being used by everyone," said Lamm. "The tech tattoo is a device that will just make everyone's lives easier." "This kind of technology can work in complex situations as well as for home use. You could monitor your child's temperature while they're sick, or just monitor your own sleep patterns." "This kind of device has the potential to become another part of life, and to streamline your day-to-day interactions. They could potentially help you build a more quantified self."